Straw-band grain-binder



(ModeL) I 'ZSheets-Sheet 1.

TUTTLE.

STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER.

No. 280,335. Patented June 26, 1883.

- WITNESSES PETERS, PlwkvLilhogmpher. Wflihmglon. 01:,

(ModeL) 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. TUTTLEL.

v STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER. No. 280,335. Patented June "26, 1883 (MbdeL) V 7 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. TUTTI-E.

STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER.

N0. 280,335. Patented June 26, 1883.

N, PETERS. PhuhrLRMgmphen Wnhinglun. DJ;

(ModeL) 7 Sheets-Sheet 4. H. TUTTLE.

STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER. No. 280,335. Patented June 26, 1883.

N. PETERS, Fhuto Lithul P v Washinglnn. D. C.

(ModeL) 7Sheets-Sheet5.

H. TUTTLE.

STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER. A

Patented June 26, 1883.

(Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet e.

H. TUTTLE. STRAW BAND GRAINBINDER. No. 280,335. Patented June 26,1883.

P 2% mg N. PETERS, F'hcmLima n har. Washinglnn. I16.

WITNESSES (Mode1.) 7 SheetsSheet 7.

H. TUTTLE.

STRAW BAND GRAIN BINDER. No. 280,335. Patented June 26, 1883.

u. PETERS, nuwumo n w, Waminglm o. c.

UNITED. STATES PATENT Orrics.

STRAW-BANIP GRAIN-BINDER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Application filed May 11, I882.

Patent No. 280,335, dated J'une2 6, 18S.

(Modeh) To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOsMER TUTTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Im-. provements in Straw-Band Grain-Binders 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

chine; Fig. 6, details showing in section and elevation the twisting mechanism. Fig. 7 is a bottom plan of the tucker, &c. Fig. 8, a front elevation of the mechanism for first twisting of the, straw as it emerges from the receivingcylinder, the wheel H being removed; Fig. 9, a detail in section, on line 11 y of Fig. l, of end of receiving-cylinder, to further illustrate parts of the mechanism for making the first twist of the straw band; Fig. 10, a detail to show connection of'grasper and twisting mechanism, with the parts that rotate them 5 Fig. 11, a detail to show mechanism operating the dividingdarts in chamberB; Fig. 12, a detail of tucker.

Fig. 13 is a detail of the cam and arm operating'the carrier of the straw band; Figs. 14 and '15, details showing. the band respectively beto the stock in eating the straw, or in the mill machinery when grinding the grain. With the twine or hemp it has been found thatthe atmospheric changes of dry 'or damp cause a difference of tension in the band; also, crickets or mice can easily eat the twine, and thus cause the gavel to fall apart. The use of straw rope bands is not open to any of these objections. This band can be made, according to my invention, very easily and very cheaply, I

and so as to form a very strong and durable means for binding the grain. I will now proceed to describe my invention. In the accompanying drawings, A denotes the frame or body of the machine.

vator (not shown) delivers the grain, as it comes from the cutter, upon the inclined table a, whence it falls down upon the binding table proper, a. As this loose grain is thus passing along to the binding mechanism, a small portion of it will fall into the open mouth b, at the upper edge of this part of the machine, and thence drop down into the chamber B, where it will fall upon the dividing darts or fingers cc. The end fingers or dividing-darts, c, are mounted loosely, one in each of the movable blocks D, so as toallow of their movement at right angles to the length of the chamber B, as will be hereinafter explained. These blocks are adapted to play horizontally in grooves e of the supportingplate E, which is fixed to the machinedirectly at the lower end of the chamber B. This movement is accomplished by means of .rods (1, one of which is attached at one end to each of said blocks D, while by means of the crank-arms at the other end they have motion from the shaft (1, which is driven by the wheel U, operated by the band or chain a, connecting with the drivingpower of the machine by bevel-gear y, which meshes with the gear-wheel IP 011 the end of the cylinder H. The blocks D can thus be reciprocated back and forth and carry the end darts or fingers, c, horizontally through the grain, insuring an even separation of the stalks, while the central one, 0, keeps its position, holding up the body of the stalks. When, in the return toward the center, the end ones approach the middle dart, the. guide-pin c on each of said end darts, which play in the slots d of the blocks D, engaging on the side springs, (1 causes said darts to ride up the incline path d, and thus be. retracted from the chamber B. In the reciprocation of the side darts the pins c -one on'the end of each dartplay back and forth in the slots 0 of the head to which the central dart is fixed; and when the side darts are retracted or forced back out of the chamber B by the action of the pins 0 on the incline d, the central dart, simultaneously with the others, will be drawn out of the chamber, and this allows the stalks of grain to fall upon the supporting and carrying arms F. \Vhen the end darts have been thus drawn up said incline (1 till they reach the center, which is cut away, as shown in Fig. 11, the spiral springs 11 cause all the darts to be thrust forward simultaneously into the strawchamber B, and then the end darts are reciprocated back and forth, as above described, and, with the central one, are in due course retracted again.

The carrying-fingers F are fitted loosely at their ends on the shaft j, which has its motion from the crank-arm f. This movement is caused by the cam-wheel G, over the edge of which a pin in the end of the crank-arm f rides. (See Fig. 13.) The ends of these fingers F are'held under the bottom of chamber B by means of springs f. The fingers F, which are rigidly fixed at their ends in arms f ,which are secured on said shaft f, at certain periods of the operation are turned up and out of the chamber, so that no obstruction is afforded to the passage of the grain; but when the pin in the crank-arm f rides over the cut-away part of wheel G, the fingers Fdrop down and upon the fingers F, which are beneath the chamber B and supporting the grain, and thus grasp firmly the grain-stalks between the two. In this position the two sets of fingers, with the grain between them, carry their load to one of the chambers or grooves h in the cylinder H. This cylinder is mounted at each end in bearings A, attached to the frame of the machine,

and is rotated by sprocket-wheel N 011 the end of its shaft. The fingers h, held down by a spring, h, and opened by arm h'-, which engages at regular intervals for this purpose with spur i on the gear-wheel I, are thrown up, and by the onward movement of the cylinder these fingers h sweep out the grain from the fingers F F, and then, as said fingers h turn down, the arm h having passed by the spur i, the springs on said fingers h cause the same to close down and shut the grain-stalks in the groove h in the cylinder.

The shaft f, which connects the fingers F, will act as a stay to steady them and keep them in fixedposition. The set-screws a which control the upward motion of arms F, can be used to regulate the position of said arms relative to their distance from the lower end of chamber B, and thus determine what amount of grain shall be taken each time by the fingers F F. The grain-stalks, which have thus been supplied regularly to fill the chambers or grooves 71, are drawn through the forward ends of cylinder H by means of the two rollers K, between which they pass, said rollers being operated by the driving mechanism of the machine. In their passage to these rollers they emerge through the converging spring-arms h, each set of which is fixed in the short tube h of which there is one in each of the two gear-wheels H. Each tube is so placed as to form the mouth or exit-passage of each chamber h, and each set of springarms having sufficient strength to hold the stalks of the grain while they are being twisted. This operation is caused by means of the movable gears H, to which the ends of said springs are fixed, as just stated. These wheels mesh with the fixed wheel H and as the spring-arms are revolved the grain-stalks are twisted in one direction. Thus from each chamber or groove h a twisted strand of graiirstalks is coming or is drawn out, and these then pass between the rolls, K, and are held here firmly in position relative to each other as they are carried along, and while so held their parts, from the rolls K to the ends of the grooves or the cylinder, are twisted upon each other by the revolutions of the cylinder H, operated by wheel N, but in a direction opposite to the former twists, and the result is that the band L so formed is composed of two strands, each twisted separately in one direction, and then twisted upon each other in the opposite direction. It may be found useful to use the guides or hoods h at the ends of the grooves h to assist in directing the passage of the grain-bands to the rolls K. The straw band L is then fed over the tensionpulley M, and thence under the pulley m to the binding mechanism.

The tension pulley swings on a rod, m, jointed to the machine-frame. This rod is connected by a rod, m to the clutch m, which is placed on the shaft of the cylinder H, at the end opposite to the pulley M. \Vhen a band is being secured on a gavel, the position of the arm M is nearly vertical, or close to the rolls K, because the slack has necessarily been taken up in placing the band around the gavel; but so soon as that"band-securing operation has been completed, and sufficient band has been made to allow the pulley M to swing or fall down by its own weight and the weight of the new band nearly to a horizontal position, it draws the rod 011*, which action disengages the clutch m and thus the band-forming mechanism, be ing thrown out of connection with the driving-power, is stopped; but when the binding mechanism again draws forward the straw band the pulley Mis brought up, and this movement at once causes the clutch m to con nect with the shaft of wheel N, and the band forming mechanism is again started. way, when a sufficient amount of the band has been made for binding a gavel, the bandanaki'ng mechanism will be stopped automatically until the binding-arm draws on the band for length enough to bind another gavel, when the band-formingmechanism is again set in 1110- tion.

The chamber B will carry a large supply of the grain, stalks or straw, probably enough to last forty rods of thetravel of the machine. If the machine goes through weedy ground, the top of the chamber B can be covered by means of the slide'a, which can be operated In this by a rod, 3, and lever conveniently placed near the drivers foot. The grain, having been duly fed from the apron down upon the binding-table a, is retained by the stops 0 on the lower edge of .the table till a sufficient quantity has accumulated to form a gavel, when the end of the straw band L, which is held in one mouth of the grasper P, is drawn .up to encircle the gavel by the upward movement of the arm 1) v of the grasper. This arm at its outer end is bent at right angles, and the bent end is fixed to gear 4, which meshes with gear U suitably connected to the operative mechanism, so as to be worked at the proper moment. In the upward swing of the grasper the leaf (0* in the incline over which the grain descends to the binding-table is turnedup, being supported in this position by therod a", which is held by spring a in'the seat a", and constitutes a ledge against which the downcoming grain will lodge, and thus prevent any interference thereof with the operation of fastening the ends of the band on the mass already accumulated on table a. When the bundle has been bound, a trip, 21/, knocks the rod a from its seat, and thus the leaf a will fall and the grain will descend upon the table a to form a new gavel. .v I

The grasper P is formed of two jaws, p the one 1) fixed stationary on the end of the arm 9 which is swiveled in the end of arm p,

and the other jaw, 1", is fixed to the sleeve p which has reciprocating movement on the end of arm 19, as will be hereinafter explained. Through the end of arm p is a pin, 1), which passes through the middle of jaw 10, and has fixed on each end the twister-arms P P, having forked ends 1). f

In the dperation of binding, as the grasper P is swung upward and round the gavel, the tension of the straw band, which is held in one month of the grasper, which for present purposes will be called mouth 1, causes the grasper and twister to make a half-revolution in connection with the. swiveled part or arm 11 on the end of the arm p, to which they are attached, as. above described, and thus the mouth 2 of the grasper will be brought uppermost in the position before held by mouthl. When the band has been carried over the gavel, the square end p of the pin 19 engages in the socket Q on shaft g. This shaft has motion from teeth on the side of wheel g,

which is mounted on shaft g and this shaft' is operated by driving-wheel a and any suitable number of intermediate gear-wheels or other mechanism. By properly adjusting the gears the shaft q is only turned when the grasperand twister has been brought into the position just above describedz'. 6., with the square head 12 in socket Q. At this time (when the end 1) has. come into position in socket Q) the mouth 2 of the grasper is uppermostthat is, in the position held by mouth 1 of the grasper when it started on its above movement about the gavel. The shaft q is now revolved. ,This carries the pin 10 the twisters, and the cam pi. The straw band held in the mouthl falls into the fork p of the twister, while the shoulder on cam 1), coming against the pawl 19, pushes in the sleeve 1), and thus the mouth 2 of the grasper is opened and the main line of the straw band falls into it, and

as the grasper and twister are further revolved the pawl isreleased from the cam, and spring 11 forces forward jaw 19", and thus the mouth.

2 firmly holds the straw band. 7 The continued revolution of the grasper and twister causes the end of the band which is in the fork p? of the twister to be carried around the main line and, twisted about it. Simultaneously now the end of the straw band is cutoff near the grasper, and the tucking process is carried out, all as follows:

The knife R isfixed to rack 0', which is operated by the gear-wheel r on the end of the shaft 1"", which is run by gear-teeth on the side of awheel, q, on shaftq", said teeth being so placed that the shaft, and consequently, the knife, will only be operated at the precise moment the end of the straw band Lhas been properly twisted on the .main line of the band, as above described. 7

he tucker S, having bent or curved projections, is mounted on shaft 8, and operated by the gear 5 011 its end, meshing with the rack rfl which is a part of the rack carrying the knife. I When the straw band is cut, as above described, the two ends fall respectivelyinto 'disengages it fromthe band. To insurethe position of the gavel while the tucker is performing its work, the-compressor T, pivoted to the frame or otherwise, and having embracingarms t, of suitable form to come closely upon and about the gavel, is brought tight down upon the gavel by means of rod ti, connected atits other end to lever t, which is operated by the cam-wheel q" exactly at the moment the cutting and-tucking are being accomplished, and when these operations are over the arm is drawn up by the spring t so as to allow the gavel, in the forming of which the grain has been taken from against stops 0 0, to fall with some momentum against the stops 0 0, the latter being held upbya weak. spring, o and the grain endwill rest againstthe rigid stops og while the butt, with the momentum of sliding down the inclined table 1/, will strike so hard against the stop 0 as to bend it down. Thus the gavel will fall ,off upon the ground, but landing on its butt. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is. l 7

1. In combination with the chamber B, the supporting and dividing darts c c, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the chamber B, the supporting and dividing darts c c and fingers F F, substantially as described.

3. In a grain-binder, the cylinder H, having longitudinal chambers h h, and provided with spring-fingers h and arm h, in combination with spur t on wheel I, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In combination with a cylinder, H, having chambers 71, and operating in connection with fingers F F, the'spring-fingers h, suitably tripped by the driving mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

5. In combination with a grain-binder, mechanism, substantially as described, for twisting the strands of a straw band, and mechanism for receiving the strands and twisting the two in a direction opposite the first twist of the several strands, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a grain-binder, of mechanism, substantially as described, for twisting the several strands of .a straw band, mechanism for receiving the strands and twisting the same in a direction opposite the first twist of the several strands, and the rolls K, for holding and drawing out the complete band.

7. In combination with the twisting mech anism and the band-fastening mechanism, the

tension-pulley M, swinging on the frame, the

rod m", clutch m, and cylinder H, constructed and operated substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The grasper P, composed of jaws p 12*, and twister P, having jaws p, substantially as described.

9. The swinging arm 1), operated as de scribed, and carrying grasper I, composed of fixed jaws p and movable jaw p twister P, cam 8, and pawl 19, substantially as set forth.

10. The grasper and twister P, as described, having head 1), combined with socket Q and shaft q, operated as set forth.

11. In combination with the grasper P, twister I and socket Q, all substantially as set forth, the knife R and tucker S, each operated as described.

12. In a grain-binder, fixed and spring stops to control the passage of the bound gavel from the machine, whereby it will land upon the ground on its butt, substantially as set forth.

13. In a grain-binder, the arm p, operated substantially as set forth, having pin 11 in its end, to which is attached the twister I, the head 12 spring 1) and cam p combined with socket Q and shaft q, operated by wheel q and shaft q, substantially as set forth.

14. The cylinder H, as described, provided with chamber h, and mounted in bearings A,

anism for twisting the same reversely into a continuous band, all substantially as described.

17. In a grain-binder, the combination, with a receptacle for holding the straws which are to form the band, of dividing-darts, which pierce the body of the straw at or near the middle of its length, and separate small quantities at a time to feed the same to the bandmaking apparatus, and mechanism for moving said darts from each other toward the ends 'of the straw, to form a perfect separation of the same, substantially as set forth.

18. In combination with the twisting-cylinder and the band-placing arm, the swinging tension-leverpivoted to the frame, and having a rod connected therewith for operating the sliding clutch of the twisting-cylinder, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOSMER- TUTTLE. \Vitnesses:

G. \V. BALLocH, GEORGE CORNELL. 

